The picks are in, and the final tally is closer than a first glance might indicate. Six of eight media outlets have the Panthers knocking off the Bengals on Sunday, but Carolina picks versus the Cincinnati ones within the panels add up to a reasonable potential final score: Panthers 24, Bengals 17.
The two individual writers represented - Elliot Harrison for NFL.com and David Steele for Sporting News - were split with Harrison siding with the Panthers and Steele with the Bengals, and several of the panels were split as well. The most lopsided ones saw all three Bleacher Report analysts picking the Panthers and five of seven analysts at SB Nation going with the Bengals.
*Picks are tabulated using consensus among media outlet's staff
Sources: NFL.com, ESPN.com, SI.com, SB Nation, Sporting News, USA Today, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports.
